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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. season — in sport
  3. band — a music group
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. march — the month
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. firm — decided
  12. season — of the year
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — steady

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com